Knowlege Puffeth Up

...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Cor 8:1-2 (NKJV)

Gnosticism, mysticism, magick, etc all always have the "promise" of greater power always over the horizon, in the next level of hidden knowlege.

Reminds me of the sign I saw in a restaurant "Free fish tomorrow..." When you come back the next day, the sign still says "Free fish tomorrow..."

In all these "isms", the initiate is always working to get to the next "level" in order to obtain the coveted "hidden knowlege".

Once they "level-up", then they find only that the power they wanted is only available at the next level. In the process, what they do get is an ego boost -- they take pride in thier accomplishment at getting to a higher level than someone else. They get a feeling of superiority from having access to privledged knowledge. Even if, in the end, the "knowledge" proves to be basically a worthless waste of time.

It's all smoke and mirrors. Satan, the father of lies, has no real power of his own. He can only offer facimiles of God's power. At best, he can pull off a few parlor tricks to use as carrots to string along the gullible. But his promises are all empty and without any real substance.

God is the true source of power and wisdom. If we have any question, God says to ask Him, and He will give us the truth and true wisdom.

If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. James 1:5 (CEV)